Sloan, Chace & Co. Reels were made in Newark, NJ in the 1880’s. They also made machinery for manufacturing parts like watch cases and gears. Augustus Kellog Sloan was the company president. He was a prominant jewelry and watch maker in the New York area. His company was making machinery for use in manufacturing intricate parts. This included machines for making watch cases and for making gears. In 1886, they developed and marketed a gear cutting machine for making the pinion and mating wheel gears. Their 1886 advertisement stated they could make the pinion gear up to 1 inch in diameter and the wheel gear up to 5 inches. They also stated that they were builders of watch and clock machinery. In 1894, the name of the company was changed to Sloan & Chace Mfg. Co. They also moved from 289-293 Washington St. to 6th Ave. and N. 13th St. The new company’s catalog shows Precision Machinery and Special Tools. This included bench lathes with available attachments for milling and for screw cutting. They also list different sizes of automatic gear cutters. To date, I have not found any fishing tackle advertisements or tackle descriptions associated with either of the two companies.
There is one fishing reel that has been found so far. It measures 2-3/4 inches in diameter and has a spool width of 1-7/8 inches. The reel is a 3:1 multiplying reel with a constant click. It’s an intricately machined German silver reel that weighs 13.7 ounces.
Augustus Kellog Sloan appears in the 1900 edition of New York State’s Prominent and Progressive Men. He was listed as the president of the Jewelers’ Association and of the Board of Trade of New York. Sloan was also a director of the American Waltham Watch Company, of the Mutual Realty and Loan Company and of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance. Sloan, Chace & Co. are considered to be one of the great reel makers from New Jersey.
The SLOAN, CHACE & CO. Reel, Circa 1886
The SLOAN, CHACE & CO. Ads in the 1886 “American Machinist” Magazine
Photo of AUGUSTUS KELLOG SLOAN in the 1900 Book “New York’s Prominent and Progressive Men”
The SLOAN & CHACE Mfg. CO. Catalog Pages
The SLOAN & CHACE Mfg. CO. Ad in the 1916 “Precision Machinery” Magazine
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